Candied Orange Wafers Recipes

SIMPLE CANDIED ORANGE PEEL

Steps:

• Cut peel on each orange into 4 vertical segments. Remove each segment (including white pith) in 1 piece. Cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips. Cook in large pot of boiling water 15 minutes; drain, rinse, and drain again.
• Bring 3 cups sugar and 3 cups water to boil in medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add peel. Return to boil. Reduce heat; simmer until peel is very soft, about 45 minutes. Drain.
• Toss peel and 1 cup sugar on rimmed baking sheet, separating strips. Lift peel from sugar; transfer to sheet of foil. Let stand until coating is dry, 1 to 2 days. DO AHEAD: Wrap and freeze up to 2 months.

CANDIED ORANGE

Steps:

• Cut tops and bottoms off of the orange and score the orange into quarters, cutting down only into the peel and not into the fruit. Peel the skin and pith of the orange in large pieces, use the orange for another recipe. Cut the peel into strips about 1/4-inch wide. Put the orange peel in a large saucepan with cold water to cover, bring to a boil over high heat. Then pour off the water. Repeat 1 or 2 more times depending up how assertive you want the orange peels to be. (Test kitchen liked the texture of a 3 time blanch best, it also mellowed the bitterness. But it is a matter of preference.) Remove the orange peels from the pan.
• Whisk the sugar with 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 8 to 9 minutes (If you took the sugar's temperature with a candy thermometer it would be at the soft thread stage, 230 to 234 degrees F.) Add the peels and simmer gently, reducing heat to retain a simmer. Cook until the peels get translucent, about 45 minutes. Resist the urge to stir the peels or you may introduce sugar crystals into the syrup. If necessary, swirl the pan to move the peels around. Drain the peels, (save the syrup for ice tea.) Roll the peels in sugar and dry on a rack, for 4 to 5 hours. Return to the sugar to store.
• Cook's Note: One way to use orange peels is to stuff a dried date with a piece of orange peel and almond, then dip the entire thing into dark chocolate.

CHOCOLATE-AND-NUT-CRUSTED CANDIED ORANGE

Steps:

• Dip half of each orange slice into chocolate; roll dipped edges in nuts and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Add a few pieces of candied ginger.
• Let stand until set, about 15 minutes. Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 month.

CANDIED-ORANGE CHOCOLATE-CARAMEL TART

Steps:

• Crust: Preheat oven to 350°F. Pulse wafers in a food processor until finely ground. Add butter, sugar, and fleur de sel; pulse until evenly moistened. Press evenly into the bottom and up sides of a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Bake until firm, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.
• Candied orange: With a vegetable peeler, remove orange zest in strips (leaving white pith behind); finely slice. In a small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water to a boil, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Add zest; reduce heat to medium and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and strain, reserving syrup (you should have about 1/2 cup).
• Transfer zest to a large plate and spread in an even layer; let cool completely. Toss with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Zest can be stored up to 1 week in an airtight container at room temperature.
• Caramel and ganache: Combine cream and orange zest in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then remove from heat, cover, and let steep 1 hour. Strain. Measure 6 tablespoons; refrigerate the rest.
• Bring reserved orange syrup, sugar, 2 tablespoons water, salt, and cream of tartar to a boil in a small saucepan. Cook, gently swirling pan occasionally, and washing down sides with a wet pastry brush (to prevent crystals from forming), until mixture turns deep amber, 9 to 11 minutes. Remove from heat and slowly add reserved 6 tablespoons infused cream (mixture will bubble and steam). Stir in butter until smooth. Pour caramel into cooled crust; let cool 15 minutes. Refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours or, covered, up to 2 days.
• Place chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring 1/3 cup reserved infused cream (saving any remainder for another use) to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Pour over chocolate and let stand1 minute, then stir until smooth. Remove tart from refrigerator and spread ganache over caramel to edges with an offset spatula. Return to refrigerator until chocolate is set, about 30 minutes.
• Remove tart from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature 15 to 30 minutes. Chop 2 tablespoons candied zest and sprinkle over chocolate. Sprinkle with fleur de sel and more chopped candied zest; remove from pan, slice, and serve.

COLD CANDIED ORANGES

Steps:

• Bring a stainless-steel pot of water to a boil. (It should be large enough to hold the oranges submerged.)
• Wash and dry the oranges, and channel from stem to navel at 1/2-inch intervals, removing strips of peel while leaving the pith intact, until the oranges resemble those onion domes on Russian churches. (You need a good, sharp channeler, not a tiny-toothed zester for this one.)
• Place the oranges and their long, fat threads of channeled peel into the boiling water, and reduce to a simmer. Cover the oranges with a lid one size too small for the pot, to keep them submerged. Let them blanch for about 25 minutes to remove the harshest edge of their bitter nature. They should swell and soften but not collapse or split.
• Remove the oranges and zest from the simmering water with a slotted spoon, and set aside. Dump out the blanching water, and return the dry pot to the stove.
• In that same pot, combine the sugar with 6 cups water; bring the sugar water to a boil over medium-high, stirring until the sugar has dissolved, then allow to gently boil, and reduce for 10 minutes, uncovered. You want some water to evaporate and for the syrup to take on a little body.
• Carefully place blanched oranges and zest into the sugar syrup, and reduce heat to a very slow, lethargic simmer. Cover oranges with a parchment circle cut slightly larger than the circumference of the pot (by 1 inch is enough), then place the too-small lid on top of the parchment on top of the oranges, to keep them fully submerged (and sealed under the parchment) in the sluggishly simmering syrup.
• Cook the oranges in the syrup for about 45 minutes, checking on them frequently to keep the temperature quite slow and stable, until they take on a high gloss and appear vaguely translucent and jewel-like. (We have several induction burners that come with features that can hold a temperature, and I leave the oranges at around 170 degrees for most of the candying, sometimes with a little bump up to 180. But without a thermometer or an induction burner, just a visual slow, slow, slow bubble is a good cue.)
• Cool oranges and peels in their syrup for a full 24 hours before serving. This kind of "cures" them. They get even better after 48 hours. First, you'll want to let them cool at room temperature until no longer warm to the touch, at least 4 hours, then refrigerate them until thoroughly chilled. The oranges last refrigerated for 1 month as long as they are submerged in that syrup.
• Serve very cold. Eat the whole thing, skin and all, with a knife and fork. It's like a half glacéed fruit and half fresh fruit - refreshing, tonic, digestive and so great after dinner.